Ward 3 candidates debate housing, traffic, homelessness and a new high school at League of Women Voters forum

The League of Women Voters Salem hosted a Ward 3 candidate forum at Collins Middle School where the two candidates for the Ward 3 city council seat, Jason Sidoriak and Kevin Daugherty, outlined competing approaches to housing growth, transportation and services for people experiencing homelessness.

Sidoriak, a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran who said he works as an economist in transportation and land use, emphasized planning, resiliency and targeted investments. “I think resiliency is 1 of the most important issues that we need to tackle as a city,” he said, arguing the city should ensure infrastructure can handle wildfire risk, coastal flooding and the trade-offs involved with new development. Sidoriak said he supports the school committee’s plan for a new Salem High School and the associated debt exclusion, calling the current building in “dire need of maintenance” and saying the new facility would be more efficient and better for students.

Daugherty, who described himself as a longtime Salem resident embedded in neighborhood life and local schools, repeatedly urged a slower approach to development. “We need to slow down,” he said, arguing that growing traffic, utility strain and recent outages show the city should take a more cautious approach to approving new projects and to ask residents directly about changes in their neighborhoods.

Both candidates discussed homelessness and services for people living in encampments. Sidoriak said the city should provide wraparound services and ensure police and community-impact units have resources to address safety and care, and he called LifeBridge and other providers part of a multi-faceted response. Daugherty focused on visible impacts in retail areas and called for more community discussion before approving new sheltered beds or large projects.

On housing and downtown density, Sidoriak advocated for distributing housing and amenities across the city — including mixed-use infill around Highland Avenue parking areas — so residents do not have to travel into downtown for daily needs. He described opportunities around transit-oriented development tied to the Jefferson Avenue corridor and the planned second train station but cautioned about displacement risks. Daugherty argued that overbuilding has created traffic jams and said the city should assess whether utilities and roads can support more units before approving projects.

Transportation and pedestrian safety were recurring topics. Sidoriak cited his professional experience in transportation planning and urged multi-pronged safety countermeasures and partnership with MassDOT for projects such as Route 107 and the Highland Avenue corridor. Daugherty focused on immediate, local experiences of congestion — citing backups on Route 107 and Canal Street — and called for studies and better public notice when developments are proposed.

Other local issues raised included tourism’s effect on downtown retail, winter island and underused waterfront properties as economic opportunities, and concerns about ICE enforcement and immigrant rights. Sidoriak called federal immigration enforcement “cruel and unusual” as practiced by some agents and said he would support police handling public-safety issues while also directing residents to resources about rights and immigration processes. Daugherty said the city has limited power over federal enforcement and urged broader civic discussion.

The forum concluded with each candidate offering closing remarks and a reminder from League chair Christine Ross about election logistics: Ward 3 votes at Salem High School on Wilson Street; polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; voter registration deadline Oct. 24; Election Day Nov. 4; and a League voter toolbox and the forum recording will be available online.

The candidates answered a sequence of audience-sourced questions on wildfire resiliency, development and infrastructure capacity, immigration enforcement, housing and affordability, tourism impacts, economic development opportunities at Highland Avenue and Winter Island, Jefferson Avenue and the second train station, pedestrian safety, Route 107 redesign, the LifeBridge/Harbor Light expansion, and how they would engage Ward 3 residents as councilor.